warvet

  HAUTE COUTURE PERSONALISED Like places that are named after people of eminence, there are many items of our dress that are identified with historical figures.   The first such item that comes to my mind is ‘Gandhi Topi’. A symbol of simplicity and utilitarianism as was with everything Gandhi, the perplexing part is that I had never seen a picture of Gandhiji actually wearing one! Not to talk of the average congressi and now the aapians who have hijacked this headgear to hoodwink the masses, I associate it more with Dadas and Mamas and Taus in childhood rural upper Shimla. Satya Nand Stokes and Dr Karan Singh also remind of the topi. On some basic research I found that it was invented in year 1919 when Gandhiji was proceeding to meet the Nawab of Rampur (same of Rampuri chaku fame) that it was pointed out he had to cover his head as was the protocol (It reminds me of the story of a young Bilaspurian who had got government service under British in pre 1947 Lahore as was told t...

BOAT PUSHERS AND RIVER OF BLOOD BY WARVET   ‘Eden Garden claimed as a Waqf Property’ sceamed the headlines of a National Daily! The iconic cricket stadium of Calcutta, that Mecca of Indian Cricket immediately took me on a nostalgic trip of all those nail biting matches we enjoyed in our childhood. It seemed insane. This claiming spree in vogue currently. I always thought the stadium was named thus as it must have appeared as the proverbial ‘Garden of Eden’ to the one who had christened it. However as I delved deeper in its history later to my utter suurprise, I found it was named after George Eden - the owner of the property that was his house once upon a time. George Eden or Lord Auckland who was the Governor General of India (1836-1842) and is imortalised in my Shimla due to ‘Auckland House’ - the prestigious school.   The etymology of the names of places is an interesting subject. In my vocation, I have stayed in a large number of places in India. All our places are interes...